Fairbairnsykes,
Sorry sir, the beret you have is a made up one. The Selous Scout beret is a more chocolate colour. The beret you have is a Portuguese Cacadores beret in the famous Chestnut Brown colour that stems from the uniforms worn by the Cacadores (hunters) during the war in Spain. These were the Portuguese equivalents of "Sharpes Rifles" fame. Very prestigious.
The band is either leather or vinyl. Leather stands up fairly well, but is susceptable to mold from storage. The vinyl cracks relatively easily. The drawstring on these berets were in green with the other end in red. This beret was worn during the wars in Africa and later in Metropolitan Portugal. I believe it's still worn today.
A lot of these are made up as genuine Scout berets are relatively rare now. Also look out for ones made up from the Royal Hussars beret, which is a Reddish Brown colour. The badge maybe genuine so all is not lost. Should have "Reutler" on reverse if Aluminium and Officers silver will have same with Silver imprinted.
Clay
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